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Introduced to South Africa in 1990, the Toyota Corolla 1.6 Litre Gl 16-Valve is the most suitable car for students in the second-hand market. It is available as a sedan and prices vary from thirty to fifty thousand rand.

 

It is not a good-looking car. In standard or stock mode… it looks like a milk carton. No passion went into the design of the Corolla. The body is there to protect the mechanical parts from nature, the seats are there to prevent you from sitting on the floor and the dashboard covers the wiring. However, just like the Cinderella story, the pumpkin does change into a chariot and a modified body-kit and custom paint-job allows the Corolla to go from ‘milk carton’ to a set of wheels any student would be proud of.

 

The 4-door sedan originally had a 1.6 Litre 16-valve transverse engine, 4 cylinders and a power output of 87KW. However, in an effort to boost the performance of the 4A-GE engine, Toyota South Africa made some modifications to the engine inlet and exhaust to lift the power output from 87kW to 96kW at 4800 rpm for all production models. It has a compression ratio of 9.5 and 145 Nm torque. With a five-speed manual transmission gearbox, the front-wheel drive accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 10.6 seconds and can reach a top speed of 180 km/h. That's fast for a ‘90s car, making it the equivalent of an entry-level Toyota AurisX - which costs a staggering R192 100.

 

The car is old and doesn't have that much in the way of accessories but, like any second-hand car, there’s room for improvement. It comes with a cassette sound system, manual windows, air-conditioning, interior courtesy and optional fog lights on the front bumper. The sound system is easily replaceable with a CD and USB sound system at less than a thousand rand. It doesn't have many security features but can be fitted with an alarm system, an immobiliser, a gear and steering wheel-lock system and a central door lock system.

 

Driving the Corolla is lovely. It isn't a Ferrari but it is faster than the 1996 Volkswagen 2.0 litre Golf GTI. It goes well around corners and handles better than the 1997 Opel Corsa Lite. It is nimble and light – in fact, it could be called the ‘Feather Car’. Students are always looking for ways to stand out. And what better way than to take the ordinary and customise it to meet your specific needs and desires?

 

There is no doubt that dynamically speaking the Corolla is hard to fault, with its hard-wearing and reliable engineering that makes it the ideal second-hand car for students because they'll enjoy driving it for miles and miles.